Duque willing to get AstraZeneca jab

BY ANTONIO L. COLINA IV

DAVAO CITY – Health secretary Francisco Duque III, who earlier refused to get inoculated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines of China’s Sinovac, said on Friday that he will receive the vaccines developed by the British drugmaker AstraZeneca.

Duque said this a day after a total of 487,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in the country from the COVAX Facility.

In a press conference during the COVID-19 vaccination rollout at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City, Duque emphasized the importance of COVID-19 vaccine to get protected from the infection.

Duque did not discuss when and where he plans to receive the vaccine.

The 64-year-old health secretary said the AstraZeneca vaccines can be administered to patients aged 60 years old and above.

Last Sunday, the country received 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Sinovac of China. (Antonio L. Colina IV)